Hřensko () is a municipality and village in

Děčín District Děčín District () is a district in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the city of Děčín. Administrative division Děčín District is divided into three administrative districts of municipalities with extende ...

in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region () is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad Labem. I ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It has about 200 inhabitants. With an elevation of above sea level, it is the lowest situated municipality in the country. Located on the edge of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, Hřensko is known for many natural monuments, especially for the Kamenice Gorge and Pravčická brána.

Administrative division

Hřensko consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census): *Hřensko (175) *Mezná (49)

Etymology

Before the establishment of the village, there was a pub under the Hornichen mountain called ''Horniss Kraczmer''. The possessive adjective gradually distorted (''Hörniß-'', ''Herniß-'', ''Herns-'') and was then adopted into Czech as ''Hřen-'' with the suffix of place names ''-sko''.

Geography

Hřensko is located about north of

Děčín Děčín (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It is the seventth largest municipality in the country by area. Děčín is an important traffic junction. Administrative division Děč ...

and northeast of

Ústí nad Labem Ústí nad Labem (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 91,000 inhabitants and is the capital of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a major industrial centre and, besides being an active river port, is an important railway junction. ...

. It lies on the border with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and is adjacent to

Bad Schandau Bad Schandau (; , ) is a spa town in Germany, in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony. It is situated on the right bank of the Elbe, at the mouth of the valley of the Kirnitzsch and in the ar ...

and Schöna. It lies in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Most of the municipality lies in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. The highest point of the municipality is Oltářní kámen at above the sea. Hřensko is situated at the confluence of the Kamenice and

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

rivers, in the Elbe valley. In the municipal territory is located the lowest point of the Czech Republic, which is the Elbe on the border with Germany at above sea level.

History

Hřensko was established during the 15th century as a trading settlement.

Demographics

Transport

The I/62 road from Ústí nad Labem to the Czech-German border passes through the municipality. There are two border crossings in Hřensko: the ''Hřensko / Schmilka'' road border crossing and the ''Hřensko / Schöna'' river border crossing.

Sights

The municipality is a portal to the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. The main attractions in the municipal territory are the Kamenice Gorge and Pravčická brána, the largest natural stone bridge in Europe. They are among the most visited nature tourist destinations in the entire country. The main cultural landmark of Hřensko is the Church of Saint John of Nepomuk. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1786–1787.

In popular culture

Pravčická brána was featured in the film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''.

Notable people

Erich Clar Erich Clar (23 August 1902 – 27 March 1987) was a German organic chemistry, organic chemist, born in Hřensko (a village directly at the border of Germany and the Czech Republic; Czech: Hřensko, German: Herrnskretschen), who studied polycyclic a ...

(1902–1987), German chemist

References

External links

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Virtual show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hrensko Villages in Děčín District Elbe Sandstone Mountains Bohemian Switzerland Czech Republic–Germany border crossings Lowest points of countries